Anaheim battles spike in violent crime

Officers from the Anaheim Gang Unit investigate on the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

ANAHEIM – Facing an increase in violent crime while other large cities are marking a dropping crime rate, Anaheim police officials are beefing up gang-enforcement efforts while trying new ways to keep at-risk youths away from gang life.

The city's violent crime rate, which had trended downward since the early '90s, unexpectedly increased by 10 percent in 2011, FBI statistics show. And current department statistics for the first half of 2012 indicate that violent crimes in Anaheim such as homicides and aggravated assaults are on track to match last year's numbers.

Along with the overall increase in crime, authorities say, a larger percentage of the violent incidents are being perpetrated by gang members.

Recent FBI statistics show that most other large cities in Orange County, such as Costa Mesa, Fullerton, Garden Grove and Huntington Beach, have either reported drops in violent crime or remained at the same rate, as in Irvine.

The crime increase also comes as the Anaheim Police Department is under scrutiny for several recent officer-involved shootings, which have led family members of those who were killed to hold regular protests in front of police headquarters. City leaders have responded by agreeing to conduct independent reviews of recent "major police incidents," including the officer-involved shootings, by an outside investigator, a move Chief John Welter has said he welcomes for the sake of transparency.

Like other law-enforcement agencies, the Anaheim Police Department has dealt with decreased resources and manpower in a tight economy while also adjusting to the effects of the state’s inmate-realignment plan. That plan, which went into effect last year, requires many offenders who would have served prison time to be sentenced to local lockup and turns oversight of thousands of prisoners who would have been monitored by the state parole board to county probation officers.

"We operate with limited resources, as does every law agency in the state," Harvey said. "Does that make this more challenging? Yes."

To deal with the inmate-realignment challenges, the number of probation officers who work directly with Anaheim police has been increased from five from two. While the realignment guidelines are not meant to apply to those who have been convicted of serious sexual or violent offenses, officials contend that the designation is based only on an inmate's last conviction, not his or her previous criminal history.

"We want to stay ahead of the realignment problem," Harvey said.

To deal with the gang problem, the department in recent weeks has increased the size of its gang-enforcement detail. Seven full-time gang investigators have been joined by four additional officers, as well as another four officers who work the city's campuses while school is in session.

Harvey said Anaheim's gang effort is driven by a three-pronged approach focusing on intervention efforts to prevent children from joining gangs, diversion efforts offering a way out of the criminal life for those who have committed minor crimes, and enforcement and suppression for those who take part in violent crimes.

PATROLLING THE STREETS

On a Friday night in late June, the members of Anaheim’s gang-enforcement detail gathered in their office at the city’s police headquarters as they prepared for their regular patrol, a mix of enforcement and intelligence-gathering among the gang community, which officials say amounts to about 1,800 gang members in about 35 active gangs.

Officers from the Anaheim Gang Unit investigate on the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A suspected gang member is lifted onto an ambulance gurney Friday night in Anaheim after being stabbed multiple times. The man was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officers from the Anaheim Gang Unit interview bystanders and investigate on the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officers from the Anaheim Gang Unit detain a man suspected of having outstanding warrants. The man was on the scene of, but unrelated to, a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An Anaheim Police Officer secures the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A bystander's German Shepard dog jumps out at an Anaheim Police officer securing the scene of a gang-related stabbing in Anaheim Friday night. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officers from the Anaheim Gang Unit investigate on the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officers from the Anaheim Gang Unit investigate on the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officers from the Anaheim Police Department collect and photograph evidence while investigating the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sirens from an Anaheim Police Department cruiser blocking off the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officers from the Anaheim Gang unit receive a call over the radio of a stabbing and head to the scene as the sun sets and their shift begins on Friday night. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sirens from an Anaheim Police Department cruiser blocking off the scene of a gang-related stabbing Friday night in Anaheim. The stabbing victim was expected to live. STUART PALLEY, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A man who police said is a gang member is arrested by Anaheim police on suspicion of drinking outside a church and running away from police. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A man who police said is a gang member is arrested by Anaheim police on suspicion of drinking outside a church and running from police. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
A man police said is a gang member is arrested by Anaheim police on suspicion of drinking outside a church and running away from police. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim police detain and question an admitted gang member while conducting a search for weapons and narcotics. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Deputy Probation Officer Jason Dale conducts a search for weapons and narcotics in an alley where a man police said is a gang member was detained. Dale said they like to hide their weapons and drugs within feet of their car or on their person. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Deputy Probation Officer Jason Dale, left, and Investigator Richard Browning conduct a search for weapons and narcotics inside a car belonging to a man police said is a gang member. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sgt. Juan Reveles questions a man who admitted that he is a gang member. He had a warrant out for his arrest. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officer Richard Browning checks the pupils of a man suspected of using cocaine during a recent patrol of a an area known for gang activity. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Deputy Probation Officer Jason Dale conducts a search for weapons and narcotics inside a car belonging to a man who police said is a gang member. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim police officers question a man who admitted he is a gang member during a recent patrol in an area where gang violence is on the rise. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officer Richard Browning of the Anaheim police gang unit detains and searches a man suspected of using drugs during a recent patrol of an area where gang violence is on the rise. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Probation Officer Jason Dale, left, and investigator Richard Browning question a man who admitted he is a gang member and had a warrant out for his arrest. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Officer Johnson Chu questions an admitted gang member after he was arrested on a parole violation in Anaheim, where gang violence is on the rise. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Sgt. Juan Reveles questions an admitted gang member during a recent patrol in Anaheim, where gang violence is on the rise. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Probation Officer Johnson Chu searches through the belongings of a man who was arrested on a parole violation. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
An admitted gang member, who had a warrant for his arrest, was arrested by Anaheim police on a parole violation. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Police officers search through the belongings of a man they said is a gang member. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Deputy Probation Officer Jason Dale, left, and investigator Richard Browning conduct a search for weapons and narcotics inside a car belonging to a man they said is a gang member. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Richard Browning of the Anaheim Police Department gang unit questions a man who was taken into custody on suspicion of drinking in public and running from police. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
Anaheim police detain and search an admitted gang member for drugs and weapons. ROSE PALMISANO, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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